


We All Need Company

by wintercalico



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Aliens, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Fight Scene, Found Family, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Outer Space, Science Fiction, more like found companion, non canon planet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercalico/pseuds/wintercalico
Summary: (y/n)'s life had never been anything out of the ordinary until she met the Doctor. Now in a distant and endangered planet, they must do whatever it takes to protect its population and save it from destruction.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Reader
Kudos: 2





	We All Need Company

**Author's Note:**

> An old fic of mine that I've grown fond of and decided to upload for old times sake. Little 15 year old me had the time of her life making up a planet and its population so don't judge her too harshly.

The Doctor sighed, boredom flowing through him. He had no idea where to go next. He had visited thousands of incredible places, but none could entertain him just the slightest. He looked down at the levers, buttons, cables and who knows what else that made up the control panel of the Tardis. Unconsciously, his hands followed the pattern of his most common destination: the Earth. Although he had not been there in a while, he still didn't need to think at all what to do to direct himself right towards the blue planet. How long had it actually been since he last came? A month? A year? Or maybe even a decade? He held close to no notion of time, due to the radical timezone changes he overcame in each of his journeys.

In less than three minutes the Tardis swiftly touched land. He breath in nervously. Taking cautious steps towards the door, he took a hold on it and considered whether he should go out or not. Finally deciding he should, he swung the door open, letting the fresh air fill his lungs.

London. Beautiful old London. A grin made its way on his lips. How he had missed that city. For him, it held nothing else but good memories. Sometimes bizarre, of course, but always nice memories.

As he began to happily walk down the streets, he observed every little detail of the life in that buzzing city. It couldn't have been long, it was just as he remembered it. He reached some of the main streets, packed with shops and pedestrians, and that was right when he saw it. A clothes shop, nearly identical to the rest surrounding him, but the Doctor would've recognised it anywhere. That's where he met Rose. In a different form, yes, but he hadn't forgotten it. His previous smile fell, remembering how alone he had been since she had left. Usually, he'd find a companion in a matter of days, but that had not been the case this time. He kept on walking, his mind racing with thoughts like it did so very often. Neither him, nor the girl typing on her phone noticed each other, and they ended up colliding. Shocked by the impact the girl tumbled back, on the verge of falling down, but the Doctor reacted fast enough to catch her before that happened.

"I'm so sorry, I should've been looking at where I was going." Started the Doctor.

She shook her head. "It's okay, I should've payed more attention too."

The Doctor stared at her in awe. She was the most beautiful woman he had met: deep piercing eyes and a contagious perfect smile that left him so lost he didn't even hear what she had said.

"Sorry, you were saying?"

The girl chuckled. "I said I'm (y/n). You?"

"Oh, I'm the Doctor."

She looked at him confused. "The Doctor? Surely you must have a name to go with that?"

"Nope. Just the Doctor."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Thing is, you don't really look like a doctor to me."

"I don't?"

"No... I wonder what you really do."

"I could tell you all about it." The Doctor said with a grin.

"Then I'll be happy to listen."

Usually, he wouldn't be so bold as to tell anyone about, well, about all he knew and had lived. But there was something about (y/n) that made him feel like he could trust her. She had a special something, and he could notice that.

As usual, his instinct hadn't failed him. They went to a nearby café to grab a drink, and the more the Doctor told (y/n) about all the different worlds, creatures and bizarre things that existed, the more her eyes shone with excitement.

"Well," (y/n) began after hours of listening to the Doctor's fascinating stories. " Now that I know of all this, I don't think it's possible for me to stay here any longer."

The Doctor couldn't contain his happiness when he heard those words. He wasn't going to be alone! Without a second of hesitance, he took (y/n) by the hand and dragged her back to the Tardis. "I'll show you the wonders of time and space!" He exclaimed, earning a laugh from (y/n) and a weird look from all the pedestrians.

__ _ __

With a soft buzz the Tardis touched land. During the journey (y/n) had been running around the whole of the peculiar spacecraft. She observed everything with the enthusiastic and hungry eyes of a little kid on Christmas day. Whatever she came across with she asked about it, and the Doctor was more than happy to answer every single one of her questions.

She now glanced nervously at the door. She took careful steps towards it, then turned to look at the Doctor, as if asking for permission. He simply nodded, and (y/n) built up the courage to open it.

She was met with the most dazzling landscape she could've imagined. Everything was ice, at least to where her eyes could reach. The curve of the horizon was way more noticeable than in the Earth, which made her think that the planet was quite smaller. In certain areas the ice had melted to create lakes and rivers, and the glow of orange fish-like creatures could be perceived from underneath the surface. Looking up, the sky unraveled before her, with the brightest blue she had ever seen. Chubby clouds sprawled through the vast fields of the colossal dome, painting it with sheeps and cotton candy floss.

"Where are we?" She let out the question as a sigh.

"If we are where I wanted to take you, which I think" He stopped mid-sentence and looked around him. "we are. In that case, welcome to Hielvania!"

She repeated the name in her head, archiving it in her new file of 'weird things I've discovered today'.

"Everything's ice but, I don't feel cold. Just a chilly breeze, but nothing else." She realised.

"That's because of the Tardis." (y/n) gave him a look of disbelief. "Once you've stepped in it, you gain the ability to bear with any planet’s weather, understand their language..."

"Wait, I can understand any language?"

"Of course! It'd be quite difficult to travel through worlds without that ability."

"That's... That's amazing."

Their conversation was cut short with an icy gust of wind. They turned to look at the direction of the air, and were met with a strange little creature. It couldn't be more than 20 inches tall, made entirely out of ice. The whole of its body were angular shapes, somehow like a diamond that had been stretched, and the head was finished in a pointy stalagmite. It had jet black eyes, big enough to cover around half of its face, but there was nothing else. No nose, no ears and no mouth. Regardless of this, they were able to hear its voice.

 _"Hello foreigners. What brings you to our planet?"_ It was the most melodic sound (y/n) had heard. She felt it inside her head, fluent and clear like flowing water. She could only look down at the creature with amazement, leaving the Doctor to talk.

"We're just visiting. By the way, where's everyone?"

They felt a pang of sadness emanating from the small Hielvanian.

_"Most are hiding. Some are trying to help, but with no use until now."_

"You're at war?" That was the last scenario the Doctor could've imagined. Hielvania had always been well known for being one of the most pacific planets. It was a place for the study and observation of stars, an area for peace, solitude and reflection. It was unthinkable that any hostile situation could occur, moreover because of how fragile the planet was.

"Who's attacking you?" (y/n) intervened.

_"We don't know... It's nothing specific, it's not an army. It has no distinct form, we couldn't see it coming. It does nothing, but whoever or whatever gets close is melted."_

"Let's see it then." The Doctor said, determination showing in his voice.

It didn't take them too long to reach it. They could easily tell they were near because of the increasing heat. They hadn't been able to create too much of a mental image of the object with so little descriptions, but it would've been of no use: whatever they had imagined wasn't as terrible as what they were about to see.

At first it could have been described, simply, as a giant ball of flaming rocks. But the more you looked the more clear it became it was anything but that. Hurricane-like forms made up its entire surface, reassembling the planet Jupiter, but scarlet red and bright orange in colour. Nearly half of it was buried in what had previously been ice, which was now a full lake. This only grew larger, as the area of molten frost around it increased in width.

(y/n) gasped in realisation. "If this continues, the entire planet will disappear."

 _"There's nothing we can do. We have no weapons. There's no other choice but to accept our future."_ The crystal being stated.

"No... No, that can't be!" She turned to look at the Doctor alarmed. "Doctor, there must be something we can do!"

The Doctor remained quiet, clenching his jaw as he thought of any possible solution. Staring absently at the spherical inferno, he saw for merely a second a hint of a metal object that gave him the answer.

"That's it! Oh, it was so obvious, how did I not remember their existence? Then again, it's been centuries since they were last used."

"Since what was used?" The Doctor completely ignored (y/n)'s question, his mind rushing with thoughts.

"The opening is visible, so maybe we stand a chance. We only need to calculate the exact moment or else..."

"Calculate what? What are you talking about?" She tried exasperated. He seemed to snap out of his trance, because he looked at (y/n) with a triumphant smile.

"That's a Dalek spacecraft." (y/n) cocked her head, utterly confused. "Quite an old machine, they used it mostly for war purposes." He continued explaining. "The interior is made of a special metal that can endure incredible heats. It has some kind of fumes from where the hot air comes out."

"But, I don't get it. Why would they attack Hielvania? It's a pacific planet."

"Because the entire globe is in itself an enormous observatory. They see almost everything, working as an alarm if any danger gets close to alert the rest. Without it, thousands of galaxies that depend on it will be weak, exposed for an invasion."

"That's just cruel!"

"I know. The only way for this to end is to get in and turn the damn thing off."

"Sounds quite dangerous." She commented as she took a glance at it.

"It has an entrance. Close to impossible, but you can still reach it even when the fumes are on. Look right on that spot, don't you see anything?" (y/n) squinted her eyes on the direction he was signaling, and in the end she managed to distinguish some kind of tunnel. "We'll use the water as our ally. The air won't reach us as easily in the water."

"And once we're in?"

"Uhhh, we defeat them."

"You got any weapons?"

"I got this." He grabbed his sonic screwdriver, grinning widely.

"Works for me." She said with a shrug. Diverting her attention back to the Hielvanian, she kneeled down to its level. "We're gonna save you all, so don't worry."

The poor creature wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or worried. It made what could be a nod, and then (y/n) and the Doctor approached the flaming spacecraft.

"This will be how we'll enter." Said the Doctor once they were beside the lake that surrounded it. "Every 30 seconds the fumes release the clouds of heat. That's their way of keeping the barrier and not overusing the machinery. We'll swim until we're beside it and wait. When we see the fumes stop, we only have those 30 seconds until they start again. In that time we need to reach the entrance, open it and get in."

"Won't we be affected by the heat remaining?"

"Not really. You'll feel it, obviously, but we're protected by the water, it's way less effective in it."

"Then let's do it."

First challenge they faced was the two minutes long distance between the shore and he flaming capsule. Unlike the outside whether, the water really felt like one could've imagined: not just cold, frigid, making (y/n) yelp when she first touched it. It slowly got better, whether it was because they got used to it or because it really grew warmer. When they arrived beside it they were able to feel the waves of heat rubbing against their skin. They began circling it until the Doctor stopped abruptly, pointing at the round metallic door glimpsing behind the fire.

"At the count of three we go in, okay?"

"Okay."

He observed one of the fumes for a while long, and when (y/n) least expect it, the countdown began.

"Three..." She frowned, clenching her jaw as she prepared.

"Two..." Instinctively, the Doctor reached for her hand, as both tried to forget what would happen if the tiniest thing went wrong.

"Now!" He leaped forward, dragging (y/n) with him as they tried to run as fast as they could, while the water that reached to their hips slowed them down. They dived under when they entered the hot barrier, and in no time (y/n) began to feel her skin itching and blister. She fought back the pain as they reached the door and waited for the Doctor to open it. She could feel the sonic screwdriver buzzing even underneath the water. A click was heard, and they took it as cue to push it with all their might. It left a space wide enough for both to enter, and they didn't waste their time. Repeating the action, they then pulled the lever down, securing themselves inside the tunnel. It was strangely calm there. It was wide enough for two people to stand beside each other, with a ramp on the right side and steps on the left. They could see the other door at the end of the corridor, and as they advance towards it they slowly began to hear noises coming from the inside.

"What do we do now?" Asked (y/n), sweating profusely due to the heat emanating from the walls.

"We have to play with the surprise factor as our main advantage. This isn't too big either, so I don't expect too many Daleks. Twenty tops."

"Still a high number considering we're two."

"We don't need to fight them. In fact, we shouldn't. If I remember correctly, the control panel is in the centre, and there must be a button to turn this off."

"Wouldn't be of too much use. The moment they notice it's not working they'd turn it on again." She deduced. "We need to get rid of them, whatever the way."

"Every Dalek spacecraft has what is called a safe button. In case of an emergency, using it would transport them directly to their nearest territory in a matter of minutes."

"Then that should be our objective. Press it and run out immediately."

The Doctor nodded. "I'll enter, you stay by the door and watch my back."

"I think it'd make more sense if I go."

"It's too dangerous, I don't want to put you in danger."

"It's less likely they'll see me." Her companion insisted. He sighed resigned, then moved to direct the screwdriver at the entrance. Another click, and they slowly moved it, trying not to make a noise.

"It's the green one." The Doctor whispered after scanning the vault-like space. With careful steps (y/n) moved through there. It was relatively small, and she reached the desired location in no time. The Daleks had been completely oblivious to her presence, but the moment she reached for the button and pressed it, a loud alarm was activated. All their attention was shifted to (y/n) while she escaped. The creature closest to her extended a metallic hook, pulling her away from the exit. She yelped by the sudden movement, while the Doctor run towards her. With a strength that came from the pure instinct of saving her, he broke a nearby pipe, yanking it from the wall and positioning himself to use it as a sword. He was well aware that little could it do against the Daleks, but he was desperate, as he saw from the corner of his eye a screen that showed the minute and a half they had to escape.

One of the Daleks made the first movement, shooting a laser beam towards him. Protecting himself with the pipe, he observed as it hitted it and then bounce off into another direction. " _That's it!_ " He thought excited. He waited for the next Dalek to shoot, then moved the tube in a certain angle, directing the beam back to the Daleks. Another try later and this time it went directly into the Dalek from which (y/n) was struggling to free herself. The creature opened his grip, and (y/n) run towards the door, followed by the Doctor. They only had time to jump out of the second gate, and right then the flaming spacecraft dissolved, leaving behind the enormous lake it had created.

Only when they were standing back in land surrounded by all the curious Hielvanians they allowed themselves to calm down and steady their breathing. The exhaustion of the events only made (y/n) fall asleep instantly, the last thing she felt was the Doctor lifting her to take her somewhere to rest.

__ _ __

(y/n) woke up inside the Tardis. Confused by her surroundings at first, but in a matter of seconds she remembered all that had happened.

"Hey, you're awake." The Doctor said when he turned to look at her.

"Have I dreamt all this?" She asked confused, recalling the past events.

"No, it's all been real." He gave her a comforting smile, sitting beside her. "It's already midnight, let's go outside again. I'm sure you don't want to miss this."

She complied reluctantly, not letting go of the blanket she'd had over her while slept.

The planet was just as she remembered: vast extensions of ice and water. But it was so much more breathtaking now.

The night was pitch black, with no moon lighting the sky. But there was no need for one. Millions of stars covered it, little dots of pure white light in the distance. And with the sky, the entire surface shone with it, reflecting its magnificence. They were surrounded by the fairy lights of the universe, and it felt like they were floating right in the middle of that infinity.

(y/n) was breathless, as the Doctor guided her through the maze of stars and they sat some distance away from the Tardis, surrounded by them all.

"This... It's just... There no words to describe it." She murmured, afraid that if she talked any louder everything would shatter like fragile crystal.

The Doctor could only hum as an answer, just as mesmerised as she was. They were in complete solitude, the endless void that was the space surrounding them, but the last thing they felt was loneliness. The absence of any sound was completed by their presence, and no words where need to understand each other perfectly. Happiness filled every single part of them, and they felt that exact moment could be forever. Regardless of this perfect situation, the Doctor knew better than anyone that nothing lasted forever, but until that happened he'd enjoy her company as much as he could.


End file.
